It's Not Always What It Seems
by therealblondie11
Summary: This is a story about Rose and Scorpius and how they came to be. After all, you can't judge a book by it's cover, can you? NEW: Rating changed to T for some swearing. Just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I would just like to thank WrittenAnonymous for reading this and for all the advice you gave me. I don't think I'd be posting this if it wasn't for your help. :) **

**Rose POV:**

Albus and I boarded the Hogwarts Express together. My stomach was fluttering from nerves and excitement. My first year at Hogwarts had finally come! After hearing stories from my parents and many aunts and uncles I was beyond ecstatic to experience it myself.

The train was crammed with students. I couldn't even raise my arm without hitting someone in the process, which I was tempted to do when people got too close. I hated it when people got too close to me. It's called 'personal space' for a reason.

We made our way to the back of the train and Albus opened the door to the last compartment. It was empty except for a boy with piercing gray eyes and platinum blonde hair that fell in his face. He was taller than me but, then again, almost everyone is. I recognized him as the Malfoy boy my dad warned me about. As much as I respected my parents and tried to obey them to the best of my ability, I didn't let them control my lives. It ended up giving me a bit of a rebellious streak.

He looked up from the book he was reading and gave us both a polite nod and a smile. He didn't seem the arrogant boy my dad had made him out to be. But, then again, I hadn't even said anything to him. That made me remember my manners.

"You don't mind if we sit here do you?" I asked, not that it really mattered if he did. I wasn't about to go through the mob of people again just to find a seat when there was one right in front of me.

"No, not at all. It seems everywhere else is full anyways. I'm Scorpius, by the way." He said. He sounded sincere so I decided to give the kid a chance.

"I'm Rose and this is my cousin Albus." I said, waving my hand to where Al was having difficulties with his luggage. Albus has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Nobody really knows why though, since we don't always see eye-to-eye. Most people think we put up with each other because we're family and we have to. It's not true though, Albus and I have a bond that I can't even begin to describe. He's always been there for me and always will.

"Pleasure to meet you both." said Scorpius. It surprised me just how polite he was. After hearing the horror stories about his family, I expected him to be proud and conceited but he didn't seem that way at all. Given the chance, I think we could become pretty good friends.

"Likewise," said Al. Albus is a man of few words. I think the fact that he was talking to the son of his father's enemy had something to do with it too.

Scorpius went back to reading his book and Al looked out the window, obviously deep in thought. The silence was awkward so I was glad when Albus started conversation.

"Hey Rosie?" asked Al.

"Firstly, don't call me Rosie," I heard Scorpius snicker at this. "And secondly, what Albus?"

"Do you think I'll be sorted into Slytherin?" he asked nervously. I noticed Scorpius was taking interest in the conversation.

"I don't know... maybe." I said honestly. "But even if you are, nobody is going to care. Just because you're sorted into Slytherin doesn't mean you'll end up a murderer."  
Albus grinned and Scorpius dropped his book.

"Thanks, Rosie,"

"Don't call me that!" I stomped my foot in irritation. "You know I don't let anyone call me that except Teddy and mum!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." He said, sticking out his tongue.

Changing the subject, I struck up conversation with Scorpius.

"So, Scorpius, what house are you hoping to be sorted into?" I asked.

"My father hopes that I'll be sorted into Slytherin." He replied, avoiding answering the question.

"But what do you want?" I asked. Honestly, it's not like it's a hard question.

"I don't know… I don't want to disappoint my family, but I feel like if I'm sorted into Slytherin that I'll just become one of them. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my family, but sometimes I feel like it's up to me to change the way people think when they hear the name Malfoy." He said. His honesty about the whole thing surprised me. I mean, he seemed like a nice kid, despite his heritage, but I never thought he was the type to go against his family's wishes. I guess that proves that people aren't always what they seem.

**A/N: So, here's my first chapter. I hope you guys like it. Please review, even if you didn't like it. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll be posting chapters. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Woo! New chapter! Enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own the Harry Potter series. **

About an hour before we were scheduled to arrive at Hogwarts the three of us left our compartment to change into our robes.

A few minutes after we got back my cousin, James, walked in and looked at the three of us.

"First years!" he laughed. His brown eyes were twinkling with amusement.

Albus and I tried to scowl at him, but in the end we couldn't help but laugh ourselves.

I let out a small scream when James started to tickle me. James always treated me like his little sister, even though he had a sister of his own. It was nice, having an older brother figure, but sometimes he could get a little overprotective of me.

"Hey, how's my favorite little cousin?" he asked.

"I'm not little!" I said indignantly. "You're only a year older than me, James!"

"Whatever, munchkin, you'll always be little to me." he replied teasingly.

I couldn't help but notice that Scorpius had been watching us the entire time. He looked amused but there was something else as well... jealousy?

"Hey, who's your friend?" asked James, catching me staring.

I blushed and turned away, silently cursing those Weasley genes.

"I'm Scorpius," said Scorpius as he shook James' hand. "Scorpius Malfoy,"

Immediately after he said that, James froze and dropped his hand out of Scorpius' grip. His mouth hung open and he kept looking between Scorpius and me. After a few seconds he got a hold of himself and turned to face me.

"You're friends with a _Malfoy,_ Rose?" he said venomously, as if being a Malfoy made Scorpius dirt on his shoe.

"Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?" I asked. I had a feeling that this was going to be one of those times that I was _really_ going to hate James for being his overprotective self.

"Yes, I do! He's a _Malfoy_ for crying out loud! He'll turn on you the moment you're on his good side! They're not like us Rose, they served Voldemort." he told me, as if Scorpius wasn't even in the room. I shared a glance with Scorpius and saw the hurt in his eyes.

"You don't control my life, James! I can be friends with anyone I want! Besides, You don't even know him." I was practically yelling now. Students were gathering in the hallways, trying to find the source of the noise. I just wanted them all to go away, especially James.

"The hell I do!" he said, taking me by the shoulders and forcing me out of the compartment.

"I'm telling mum you were cursing..." I heard Albus whisper, mostly to himself.

As much as I was struggling, I was no match for James. I was almost out of the door when I turned around and looked at Scorpius again. He looked as if he may cry at any given time. I hated seeing people hurting. It made me feel like a terrible person, even if it wasn't exactly my fault.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed, giving him an apologetic look.

"Goodbye, Rose," he mouthed back.

That's it, I'm disowning James.

**A/N: Merry Christmas! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, alerted, and favorited so far! It makes me so happy that I've gotten all this feedback for only one chapter! I know, this chapter is pretty short but I really have nothing else to say. I must say, I'm pretty happy with this chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought or what you might like to see happen in the story.**


	3. Chapter 3

James led me to the compartment he had been sitting in, shoving me inside. Albus was slowly following behind, obviously not wanted to suffer the wrath of his brother as I had. I plopped down in an empty seat and crossed my arms with a loud, "Humph!"

I couldn't believe that James would do that. He didn't even bother to talk to Scorpius before making accusations. I mean, sure, maybe I had over-reacted a little bit, seeing as I don't even know Scorpius that well myself, but at least I was trying to give him a chance and not judge him by his heritage.

Suddenly, all I could think about was the pained look in Scorpius' eyes, like all his efforts to be different from his family were hopeless. I had wanted so bad to give him a hug to try and comfort him. I'd always had an overwhelming need to comfort people who were upset. Mum said that would make me a great mother myself one day.

After a moment or two, I glanced up around the compartment. The only ones in it were James, one of James' school friends, Albus and I. My eyes landed on James as I sent him a death glare.

"Aw, come on, Rose. I only did it for your own good. You can't be mad at me forever." He pleaded. He looked slightly upset for what he'd done, but not enough to take it back.

"Watch me," I said. I don't know why I was sticking up for Scorpius so much. I mean, we met only a couple hours ago. There was just something different about him though…

"Rose, think about what your dad would say if he found out you had become friends with a _Malfoy._" He said.

"Look, James, just because our parents and his parents were enemies in school doesn't mean that we have to be enemies with Scorpius. How would you like it if you were in his position?" I countered. That shut him up real fast.

I muttered a short, "Thought so," and gazed out the window at the rolling green hills speeding by.

I tried to clear my head but I couldn't help but think about how my day had gone from exciting to dramatic in minutes. Sometimes I really hated how big and nosy my family had to be.

OoOoOoOoO

"Rose," I felt someone shaking at me. It was Albus. "Rose, we're here. You have to wake up." I opened my eyes. It was dark outside and Albus was standing over me.

"Alright, alright, I'm up." I grumbled sleepily. I sat up and made my way off the train, gathering with the rest of the first years. Hagrid still led the first years to the castle, like he had done when my parents were in school.

Most of the kids were looking up at Hagrid with a frightened expression, but Al and I simply ran up to him and gave him a hug. Well, best we could anyways, seeing as we only came up to about his knee.

We said our quick hello's and got into one of the boats in the front. Two other kids got into the boat.

"Hi, I'm Lysander and this is my brother Lorcan." said Lysander. I recognized them from one of the parties I had attended at the Ministry with my parents. They were Luna's sons.

"Pleasure," I said absently. They took the hint and took up conversation with Al. From what I could tell, they were talking about Quidditch. Oh Merlin, if only they knew what they were getting into. Al was the Quidditch know-it-all of the family and once you got him started on the subject, it was very difficult to get him to stop.

I tuned them out, knowing I'd probably heard the same thing Albus was saying a thousand times already.

The boats came to an abrupt stop and my stomach gave a flip. I stood up shakily and followed the crowd of students towards the castle, led by Hagrid.

As we filed through the giant front doors, I saw Neville waiting for us. Neville was head of the Gryffindor house and apparently was also in charge of the sorting hat.

He began telling us how the sorting was going to work, but I was having a hard time focusing. Instead I gazed around the room, searching for familiar faces. I recognized a few students but didn't know their names.

Suddenly, the group was moving towards the Great Hall. In my anger and the overwhelming feeling the castle gave me, I had forgotten my nervousness until then. It was back now though, and I felt like I was going to throw up at any moment. A million thoughts buzzed through my mind.

_What if I wasn't sorted into Gryffindor? Was dad kidding when he said he would disown me? What would I tell everyone if I was sorted into, say, Slytherin?_

I didn't want to think about the possibility of being in Slytherin. As confident as I had sounded when reassuring Albus' doubts, I couldn't help but hate the idea of being in that house. Albus… Where had he gone to? I turned to my right and saw that he had stuck by my side the entire time. I was glad that he understood me well enough not to pester me with questions and just keep to himself.

As I entered the Great Hall, my breath caught in my throat. It was a beautiful sight. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the night sky, just as mum had said. It was a deep midnight blue with white stars scattered throughout.

The four house tables were decorated according to the house's colors. The candles all over the room gave off a soft golden glow that made the whole place feel warm and welcoming.

I looked around me, catching sight of my family at the Gryffindor table. I gave them a big smile and a wave, pointedly ignoring James.

I realized that while I had been gazing around the hall, I had missed the Sorting Hat's song. _Oh well, _I thought. _There's always next year I suppose._

As student after student climbed the stairs and was sorted into one of the four houses, I watched, waiting for my turn. It wasn't until I heard a familiar name that the sorting had my full attention.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" yelled Neville… Er, Professor Longbottom. That was going to take some getting used to.

Scorpius nervously made his way to the stool and sat down, placing the hat on his head. After a moment's hesitation the hat let out a loud, "HufflePuff!" and the entire hall went silent. He was a Malfoy; therefore everyone assumed that automatically made him a Slytherin.

Slowly, the cheers erupted around the room as Scorpius, now grinning, made his way to the HufflePuff table.

"Potter, Albus!"

I held my breath as Al sat on the stool. It wasn't even half a second after the hat was placed on his head that it let out a, "Gryffindor!" and the cheers sounded around the room again, twice as loud as they had been for Scorpius.

And then my name was called and the butterflies were back, twice as strong. I wobbled up the steps, afraid that I was going to fall and make a fool of myself.

I sat down and crossed my fingers. Then I heard a voice inside my head.

"Hmmm, a Weasley, huh? I know just what to do with you… GRYFFINDOR!" It yelled the last part loud enough for everyone to hear and a practically ran to the table with the red and gold to sit with my family.

As I dug into my food, I glanced around the hall in search of those grey eyes and platinum hair. I spotted him quickly and saw that he was sitting at the very end, all alone. He looked up from his plate and I averted my gaze, focusing solely on my food.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everyone. Just a heads up, the story has skipped ahead to Rose's 5th year.**

_Great, _I thought. _My first day back at Hogwarts and I'm already late for my first class._

I had caught two third years trying to ditch their class and, being a Prefect, I was required to make sure they actually got to their class.

Now I was almost ten minutes late and practically running towards my potions class. This was definitely not my good day.

I checked my bag to make sure I had my book. I was relieved to find that I had remembered it this morning. I didn't have any time to spare.

As I rounded the last corner, I ran straight into something.., rather, _someone_.

"Oof!" I said, falling to the ground, my things flying everywhere. "Shouldn't you be in class?" I asked, using my Prefect voice.

A pale hand reached down in front of me. I looked up and realized I had run into none other than Scorpius Malfoy himself. I blushed as I took his hand and he helped me up off the floor.

"Err... Thanks, Scorpius." I said quietly. "Why aren't you in class?"

"Professor Slughorn asked me to look for you since you were late." He replied. I had forgotten that we had potions with the HufflePuffs.

"Oh... I, uh, caught some third years trying to ditch their class..." I explained.

"Ah, well okay then," He said, helping me gather everything that had fallen out of my bag.

When everything was back safely in my bag, we set off towards the dungeons. The walk there, though short, was extremely awkward and I thought it would never end.

I opened the door to the classroom and everyone went silent, staring at the two of us. I suppose it looked a bit strange, seeing as most of them knew what had happened on the train five years ago. I ignored them as Professor Slughorn started to speak.

"Since you were late, Miss Weasley, you can take the last empty seat." He said, pointing to the seat next to Scorpius.

"But, sir, I can't sit there." I protested

"Do you have something against Mr. Malfoy?" he asked.

"No, that's not it... I just..." I trailed off.

"Since you have yet to give me a viable reason, please take your seat." he said.

I blushed and slowly made my way over to Scorpius, sitting down in my seat. I glanced at Scorpius, noticing he seemed a little upset at my reluctance to sit with him.

He looked at me and I managed to give him a small smile. His features softened and he smiled in return.

OoOoOoOoO

I found that Scorpius was actually rather good at potions, which was helpful seeing as it's the only class I have a real problem in.

We spent the majority of the class talking quietly while taking turns putting ingredients into our cauldron. Scorpius was actually very funny when you finally got him to open up. He was known as a bookworm and had hardly any friends. Part of me couldn't help but wonder if that was my fault. Had I caused him to stop trusting people so easily?

"Rose," his voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Class is over."

"Oh, thanks. I guess I just spaced for a second there." I replied.

"Yeah… I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked.

"Well I don't plan on missing any classes, so yes."

He snickered quietly and left the room.

I seriously hope James doesn't hear about this…

**A/N: Well… I'm not a big fan of this chapter, but tell me what you think. What did you think of the time leap I made there? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

I entered the Great Hall for dinner that night and took my usual seat between Albus and Dominique.

Now that I thought about it, I didn't really have any friends outside of my family. I had plenty of cousins to make up for that. It was almost overwhelming at times, actually.

"Oi, Rose, pass the potatoes," said Albus, a mouth full of food. Boys, some days they just disgust me.

"You know, you could ask politely." I said pointedly.

"Or I could just reach across the table and get them myself." He replied.

I sighed and passed the potatoes anyway. I swear he learned his table manners from my father. _Or maybe it's just a guy thing,_ I thought, looking around the table at the rest of my male cousins, who were busy shoving as much food as they could in their mouths while still talking.

I grimaced and focused on my plate.

"So I hear you and Scorpius Malfoy were pretty friendly during potions class, Rose." said Dominique. I had always been jealous of Dominique. She had beautiful strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. I suppose it's because of her veela heritage.

"What you heard likely wasn't true. I was forced to sit there by rotten ol' Slughorn! He lives up to his name, he does..." I said, exasperated with the spread of drama around schools.

"Well, you _did _show up to class together." She pointed out. Leave it to Dominique to believe every rumor and lie in Hogwarts.

"Only because he was sent to come find me. Honestly, I don't even know why. Professor Slughorn hasn't ever done that to anyone else." I said.

"Technically, Scorpius asked where you were and asked if he could go find you and make sure you were alright." Said Albus, joining in the conversation. I had completely forgotten about Albus being in the same class to be honest.

"Wait… Why would he do that?" I inquired, thoroughly confused by now. Why would he care where I was? I figured I had hurt him so much that he would have wanted nothing to do with me.

"Maybe because you're never late to class and he was worried you'd been eaten by a hippogriff? Why don't you just ask him?" suggested Albus, who was, for some reason, smirking.

"Right, I'll just walk up to Scorpius and say, 'Hi, we barely know each other, but I was wondering why you found it necessary to make sure I hadn't fallen off a cliff and died because I was late to class." I replied sarcastically.

"Actually," Came a voice from behind me. I turned around to find none other than Scorpius himself. "I did it because, in all the classes I've ever had with you, you have never once been late. In fact, you're usually about ten minutes early, unless of course, one of your cousins steals your attention for a few minutes, causing you to be delayed and get to class just barely before it starts."

"Why didn't you just send Albus?" I asked.

"Because he was too busy flirting to notice your absence." He replied. The way Scorpius seemed to notice everything amazed me. It also worried me slightly. Had he been following me all these years to keep up with my schedule?

"Oh," I said stupidly. "Um, why are you over at the Gryffindor table anyways?"

"You left your potions book at our table and this was the first chance I've had all day to return it to you." He said, holding out my book. I blushed and took it from him. I wasn't usually this forgetful, especially when it came to school. I was always on top of my homework, having it completed before Albus or Dominique even bothered to start theirs.

"Well, thanks," I replied, smiling slightly before stuffing my book into my bag.

"No problem," He replied nonchalantly. "Can't have you falling behind on homework now, can we?"

"No, I suppose not," I said. And with that he spun on his heel and headed back to the HufflePuff table.

**A/N: Alright, so this chapter is fairly short but hopefully the next chapter will be longer. What did you guys think? Reviews are greatly appreciated. The more reviews I receive, the more I want to go write another chapter. So if you want a quick update just click that little button down there and type a short sentence. :) **


	6. Chapter 6

The next few weeks flew by quickly. Scorpius and I continued our friendly chatter, when Slughorn wasn't looking of course. Except for a few 'Hello's, however, we never really talked outside of class.

I walked into the dungeon and found my usual seat. I was a bit early, as usual, so there weren't many students in the room yet.

I opened my bag and pulled out my half finished essay for History of Magic. I dipped my favorite quill into my bottle of ink before setting to work on my essay.

History of Magic is my least favorite class, yet I had better marks in it compared to my other classes. I suppose being the niece of one of the most famous people in wizarding history and the daughter of his two best friends had something to do with it. That and I had probably heard more stories about the defeat of Voldemort than the average kid.

"Hello Rose," said Scorpius. I had been so caught up in my homework, that I hadn't noticed that the classroom was nearly full by now.

"Oh, hello Scorpius," I said.

"Don't you ever do anything besides school? You're always early and doing homework that isn't due for weeks still. Don't you ever enjoy your breaks between classes?" he asked. His question took me by surprise. Yes, I was very diligent about my studies, but it allowed me more time to enjoy myself on the weekends.

"As a matter of fact," I said. "I happen to be going to Hogsmeade this weekend with Al and Dominique."

"Oh," was all he said before busying himself with preparing the ingredients for our potion. His lack of response confused me. Scorpius almost always had something to say.

"Aren't you going?" I asked.

"No," He replied shortly.

"Well, why not?" I didn't know of anyone who wouldn't want to go to Hogsmeade. Had he gotten detention? That didn't seem like something that would happen to Scorpius but, then again, I figured he would be going in the first place.

"I don't have any friends to go with and I don't want to be the loser who goes alone." He confessed.

"Why don't you come with me and my cousins?" I suggested. Nobody should be stuck alone on a Hogsmeade weekend because nobody will go with them.

"Really?" He asked, brightening up. It was amazing. It was like he was a whole different person from the one moments before. In nine little words I had made him go from being sad and rejected to extremely hopeful and excited.

"Yeah, of course," I replied.

"Your cousins won't mind? I mean, I know they don't exactly like me."

"Nah, James is the only one that ever had an issue with you and, as far as I'm concerned, he needs to just get over himself."

"Well in that case, I'd love to come with you guys." He said. "Hey, could you pass me those beetle wings?"

I grimaced and handed him the beetle wings, trying to touch as little of them as possible.

"They're not going to explode you know." He said, laughing at me.

"I just don't like bugs, dead or alive, okay?" I gave him a mock glare, causing him to raise his hands in surrender.

"Hey, I'm just saying that if you have a problem touching potion ingredients, maybe you should get some gloves like Alice Davies over there."

"I don't think that's necessary. My solution works just fine." I replied.

He laughed again but didn't say anything.


	7. Chapter 7

The week flew by and, before I knew it, the day of the Hogsmeade trip had arrived. After explaining the situation, both Albus and Dominique were perfectly fine with Scorpius coming along.

The four of us had arranged to meet by a fountain outside the gate.

I was the first one to arrive, so I opened my bag and got out my book before sitting on the grass, and leaning up against the fountain.

Soon I was lost in my book, so, when a hand tapped me on my shoulder, I jumped. I looked up to see Albus, his green eyes staring at me.

"Hello," He grinned.

"Hey," I replied. "Where's Dom?"

"Probably still choosing her 'perfect outfit' for today," He laughed, which sent me into a fit of giggles as well.

"What's so funny?" Asked a voice. I turned to find Dominique staring at us with a questioning look on her face.

"Nothing," Replied Al, a little too quickly. He never was a very good liar.

"Yeah, sure," She said before sticking her tongue out.

"That's real mature, Dom." He said.

"Whatever," She replied, trying to glare at him but laughing anyways. After a minute or two, she calmed down and faced me.

"Isn't your boyfriend here yet, Rosie?" She asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

I felt myself blush before yelling, "He isn't my boyfriend!" My cousins snickered and I simply rolled my eyes in return.

"Uh... Hi..." Said a wary voice behind me. I turned around and found Scorpius standing awkwardly, as if he was unsure if he should even be here.

"Hey, glad you made it. I thought you were going to ditch us." I teased.

"No, I uh, slept late..." He said, still obviously uncomfortable.

I snickered to myself at Scorpius' behavior.

"Lighten up a bit. We're here to have fun, just go with it, okay?" I smiled.

"Hey, you two," Yelled Albus, pointing at us. "Let's get going before all the good stuff in Zonko's is sold out!"

Scorpius held out his hand for me and I took it, walking over to my cousins before setting off for a day in Hogsmeade.

**A/N: Alright, so I was going to write the Hogsmeade trip in this chapter as well but I'm thinking it will end up really long if I do, so next chapter will be the trip to Hogsmeade... Sorry about that. **

**Reviews make the update that much quicker!**


	8. Chapter 8

As we made our way to Honeyduke's, I enjoyed the cool fall breeze and the bright colors of the leaves. Suddenly, the smell of chocolate and sugar was overwhelming. I glanced back at my friends, smiling, before leading the way into my favorite shop.

The place was packed full of students I glanced nervously around before turning towards where Albus and Scorpius were talking.

"Maybe we should come back later!" I yelled over the noise. I was starting to feel dizzy. I didn't do well with crowds.

"But we just got here!" Whined Albus. "Besides, this place is always crowded."

I knew he was right, but I couldn't handle this place any longer.

"Fine, I'll be outside when you're done." I replied, running out of the store as quickly as possible.

As soon as I was out the door, I felt better. I inhaled the fresh air hungrily.

I found a bench nearby and sat down, hugging my knees to my chest.

Most people find it funny when I tell them I don't handle large crowds very well. I mean, really, a daughter of two-thirds of the Golden Trio afraid of a few people? Honestly, even I find it a little ridiculous. Unfortunately there's nothing I can do about it.

I saw Scorpius walking out of the store, towards me.

"Hey," He said as he sat down on the bench next to me.

"Hey," I replied. "Sorry 'bout that." I blushed slightly.

"It's alright, Albus explained it to me."

We fell into silence and I looked at the ground, following the cracks in the pavement with my eyes.

"Oh!" Scorpius exclaimed, reaching for one of his bags which I could only assume was filled with candy. "I got this for you since you didn't get a chance to look around yourself."

I smiled and thanked him, opening the big bag. I gasped when I saw the contents. Inside the bag was nearly every candy available at Honeyduke's. Everything from plain old chocolate to sugar quills to fizzing whizbees.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I got a little bit of everything." He explained, almost nervously.

"You really didn't have to do that." I said, even though I was still smiling.

"Just think of it as a thank you present."

I was confused. What had I done for him worth thanking?

"For what?" I asked.

"Well, ya know, for inviting me to come with you today and..." He trailed off.

"And?" I prodded.

"And just for being my friend," He muttered. "Not many are willing to even talk to me."

"Hey, you're a fun guy to be around and if people aren't willing to give you a chance, you should just ignore them. If they can't see past your heritage then they're not worth your time." I told him, giving him a small hug.

"Oi! Rosie!" Yelled Albus, waving me over to where he was standing. I rolled my eyes before getting up and walking to him, Scorpius following close behind.

"Don't call me Rosie." I sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Rosie." He replied, smirking.

Luckily for Albus, Dominique came walking out of the store that very moment, carrying a giant lollipop.

"Where to next?" She asked.

"Zonko's!" Exclaimed Albus excitedly.

Dominique and I laughed, walking together towards the shop. When we got there, I looked through the window and groaned. Zonko's was even more packed than Honeyduke's, if that was even possible.

"I can't go in there." I said, staring wide-eyed at the store.

"Oh, come on, Rose. You do this every time. You always wait outside. Why don't you just try ignoring everyone?" Dominique suggested.

I shook my head, feeling sick at the mere thought of going in there. Dominique sighed but didn't argue any further, knowing she was just going to lose.

"Fine, we'll meet you out here in half an hour." And with that she turned and walked into Zonko's Joke Shop.

By now, Scorpius and Albus were caught up to where I was standing. Albus looked like he was about to say something to me but I simply shook my head.

"There's no way you're getting me into that place." I said.

Albus sighed, but didn't say anything, following Dominique through the door.

"Do you want me to wait outside with you?" Asked Scorpius.

"No, it's okay. I stay out here by myself all the time." I replied nonchalantly.

"You sure? I wouldn't mind." I almost took him up on the offer when I remembered how excited he seemed to get at the mention of this place.

"It's fine. Just buy me something while you're in there, okay?" I said, handing him my week's allowance.

"Sure," He smiled and went off to find my cousins in the crazy mob of customers.

OoOoOoO

I found another bench and opened my bag, getting out my book.

The faint sound of birds and the chatter among students was like a faint noise in the distance. The light breeze brushing my face was refreshing, whisking around smells of food and butterbeer. I paid them no attention, letting my imagination run wild as I immersed myself in another world.

OoOoOoO

An alarm on my watch went off, signaling that my half hour was up. I closed my book and walked back to where I had promised to meet them.

The three of them had gotten there before me, Scorpius handed me a bag, filled with stuff he had bought with the money I had given him. I had a sneaking suspicion he had spent some of his money too, looking at the amount of things he handed me.

"Thanks," I grinned.

"No problem. Glad I could be of assistance." Scorpius said, smirking.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm in the mood for some butterbeer." Dominique declared.

"Me too," The three of us said in unison.

"So it's settled." She confirmed, skipping towards the Three Broomsticks.

OoOoOoO

We found a table in a corner, away from the larger crowds and ordered ourselves some butterbeer. Scorpius and Albus were talking quietly amongst themselves, leaving me to listen to Dominique's gossip. If there were a queen of gossip, it would be Dominique, no questions asked.

I was glad that my cousins were getting along with Scorpius. I had hopes that the four of us would be able to hang out more often and, from today's experiences, it just might happen.

**A/N: Well, it's not as good as I had hoped, but I still kind of like it. I think this might be one of my longest chapters and hopefully it makes up for the shortness of the last one.**

**Let me know what you guys thought. I didn't get many reviews for last chapter so I'm hoping for more this time.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	9. Chapter 9

I was eating breakfast one morning, around mid-November, when the post arrived.

I looked up, spotting my barn owl, Evelyn, who was carrying a mass of letters.

She clumsily landed next to my plate, taking the piece of toast I held out for her. She held out her leg and I untied the wad of parchment. They were letters from my parents, Grand mum Weasley, and Teddy.

The first two I wrote to normally, but Teddy hardly ever wrote unless he had news, since he is swamped at work.

I opened the one from my parents first.

_Dear Rose, _It said.

_How are you doing? Are you enjoying being a Prefect? How are you doing in your classes? I hope you've gone to visit Hagrid. You know how happy he is to have company._

_Not much is happening at home. Your Father is working extra hours at the Auror's office. They've been working on a case for a few weeks now. Neither Harry nor your Dad will tell me what it is, but I hope it's nothing too serious._

_Hugo told me that you've been hanging out with young Scorpius Malfoy. Your Father wasn't very happy about it, but he'll get over himself. I'm glad you've found a friend outside of your family, Rose. Family is important, but sometimes you need a break from them. I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about._

_Don't be mad at Hugo for telling us. I don't think he really meant to, it just slipped out._

_Your Father and I have been considering taking a trip to Paris for the holidays. You'd have to stay at Hogwarts, unless you are willing to stay at the Burrow._

_Lots of love,_

_Mum and Dad_

I smiled, folding the parchment and putting it in my bag, mentally reminding myself to write a reply tonight. I opened the letter from Grand mum. It was short. She wanted to let me know that I was welcome to stay for the holidays at the Burrow if I wanted, but that she'd understand if I wanted to stay at Hogwarts, seeing as she was going to have several people staying there and it would be crowded.

I decided to find Hugo later and ask him what he thought.

I was just about to open the letter from Teddy when Albus grabbed my arm, dragging me out of the now almost empty Great Hall.

"We're going to be late for class, Rose. Hurry up!" He said.

I gathered my things and rushed off to class, trailing right behind Albus.

I'd read the letter later.

OoOoOoO

I didn't have a break until just before lunch. I had been impatient all morning, nearly giving in to temptation and reading the letter in class. I am really close to Teddy, he's like an older brother to me, and I was dying to find out what he had to say. I hoped it wasn't bad news.

I walked out of my class, heading towards the Great Hall for my next meal, when I took the letter out of my bag and opened it.

_Dear Rosie, _He wrote.

_Well, I have some pretty fantastic news for you, which I hope you will share with the rest of the Weasleys and Potters. _

_I asked Victoire to marry me and, to my great pleasure, she said yes! We're planning our wedding for this summer, when you are all out of school. Victoire wanted me to ask you if you would be her bridesmaid and to tell you not to worry, she won't be putting you in any terrible dresses. Not that you would be worried about that anyways. She has a wonderful sense of style._

_I hope you're enjoying your year at Hogwarts so far and that you're studying hard for your classes. Just don't study too hard, Rosie. I know how you get with your classes. Take a break every once in a while._

_Love ya,_

_Teddy_

While I was reading the letter, I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going and ended up running into a wall head first.

"Ow!" I yelled, before starting to fall backwards.

"Hey—whoa there! Careful!" I looked up and found Scorpius's grey eyes staring into mine as he caught me. I shakily stood up and put a hand on my head, feeling a decent sized lump beginning to form.

"Thanks," I muttered, starting to walk towards the Gryffindor table.

"Hey, wait!" He called after me, "You really should go to the Hospital Wing to make sure you don't have a concussion."

"I'm fine," I brushed off. He didn't seem to be listening to me though, since he caught up to me and started steering me towards the Hospital Wing.

"I'm not kidding, Rose. You could have a serious head injury, the speed you were going."

I, being my stubborn self, practically rooted myself to the ground, refusing to walk any further.

"Alright, we can either do this the easy way, or we can do this the difficult way." He said, crossing his arms and staring me down.

I didn't say anything or move a muscle. He stared at me a few more seconds before sighing.

"You leave me no choice then," And with that he grabbed me around the waist and slung me over his shoulder.

"What the—Hey! Put me down! Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, put me _down!_" I yelled, but it was useless.

I was surprised that he could even pick me up. I mean, sure, I was tiny, but he didn't seem that strong of a guy.

He refused to put me down, much to my embarrassment, until we were outside the door to the Hospital Wing.

As he set me back on my feet, he knocked on the door, explaining to Madame Pomfrey about how I'd run into the wall.

She ushered us inside and told me to sit on one of the empty beds. She pointed her wand at my head and whispered a charm and I immediately felt better. The pain was gone and I was no longer dizzy.

"Just a minor concussion. You'll be good as new in a moment." She said, mixing a potion. The steadiness of her hands surprised me. I mean, it wasn't like Madame Pomfrey was what you'd call young or anything.

She handed it to me, ordering me to drink it. I did as was told. It tasted foul, like milk that had gone sour, and slowly oozed down my throat, causing me to gulp long after it had been swallowed to rid myself of the sensation.

"Feeling better, dear?" She asked me.

"Very much so. Thank you." I replied.

"No problem," She said nonchalantly before walking off to tend to another patient.

I stood up and looked at Scorpius.

"Are you going to let me walk down to lunch on my own, or are you going to carry me there?" I teased.

He blushed, looking at his feet.

"I just wanted to make sure it wasn't something serious, Rose." He mumbled.

"I know," I laughed, "I'm just teasing."

He smiled shyly and we made our way down to the Great Hall for lunch together.

**A/N: Sorry it took a while to write this. I had a bit of writer's block, but I think I'm over it now. Hope you enjoyed, and even if you didn't, I hope you review anyways. **

**: )**


	10. Chapter 10

At dinner I made my way over to the Ravenclaw table, where my brother, Hugo, was sitting. I tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped slightly and turned around to face me.

"Hey Rose," Hugo greeted me.

"I wanted to talk to you about the holidays." I said. "Did you get a letter from Mum and Dad?"

"Yeah, and one I got one from Grand mum too." He replied, nodding his head, causing his long brown hair to fall in his face. Despite how many times he's argued with mom about it, he refuses to cut his hair.

"I was thinking we could stay at the Burrow. We hardly ever get to stay there, it'll be fun." I suggested.

"Sounds good," He said before turning back to his food. _Boys, _I thought.

With that settled I went back to my own table, looking forward to the break for holidays.

OoOoOoO

That night, after I finished my homework, I wrote a letter to Mum, telling her that Hugo and I wanted to stay at the Burrow. I also asked her if she could pass on our decision to Grand mum so I wouldn't have to write two separate letters.

I folded the parchment and tied the letter to Evelyn's leg. I watched her fly out the window, into to cold fall air.

OoOoOoO

I woke the next morning, still leaning against the window, but I had a blanket wrapped around me and a pillow under my head. I suppose one of my roommates had something to do with it. I'm surprised they hadn't woken me up when they came into the room. They're usually very noisy.

I sat up and stretched my sore neck, before getting up and putting on my school robes.

OoOoOoO

That weekend Albus, Scorpius, Dominique, and I were sitting at the edge of the lake, discussing our plans for the holidays.

"Well, aside from my parents, I think all the Potters and Weasleys are going to be at the Burrow for Christmas Eve and staying until Christmas morning." I said. Albus and Dominique nodded, proving my guess correct.

"What about you, Scorpius?" Albus asked.

"Um, well, my parents are most likely going to have a party. I'll probably spend the day in my room, reading though. I'm not a big fan of my parents' business parties." He said.

"Seriously? You're going to _read_ all day for Christmas?" Asked Albus in a disbelieving tone, like he thought Scorpius was joking.

"Yeah, I like to read." Replied Scorpius.

Albus looked like he wanted to argue further, but Dominique shot him a look that clearly said, _Drop it_.

"I hope Hugo decides to let me sleep in the Christmas instead of waking me up at three in the morning." I said.

"Fat chance," Said Dominique, laughing, which sent me into a fit of giggles as well. Pretty soon, the four of us were all laughing and joking and just having a good time.

**A/N: So, I know this was short, and not much is really happening except for the fact that Rose is going to the Burrow for Christmas, but I needed to write it anyways.**

**It was brought to my attention that in the wizarding world, the wizards have their father's names as their second names, meaning that Scorpius's middle name would be Draco, not Hyperion. While this may be the case for many characters in the Harry Potter series, I researched this from several different sources and they all said that his middle name was Hyperion. Also, nearly everyone in the fanfiction world uses Hyperion as his middle name, not just me. If every first born boy of a wizarding family had his father's first name as his second name, then why is Harry's oldest son's middle name Sirius? **

**Also, it was said that, since Rose has her mother's brains, it's not very believable that she would be using slang like I use in my story. **

**First of all, as far as I know, I haven't used any 'slang'.**

**Secondly, just because Rose may be as smart as her mother, doesn't mean that she thinks exactly the same way as Hermione. She has her own personality.**

**I just figured I'd clarify some things there.**

**Thanks everyone who's reviewed so far. 34 reviews already? Wow! Keep them coming! :) **


	11. Chapter 11

The weeks flew by and before I knew it, I was sitting on the Hogwarts Express, sharing a compartment with my friends.

Albus, feeling sorry for Scorpius, who he had practically become best mates with, invited him to stay the holidays at the Potter house. This worked out nicely, seeing as Dominique and I were planning on inviting Scorpius to the Burrow on Christmas anyway.

I glanced around the compartment. Albus and Dominique were talking animatedly about Merlin knows what while Scorpius sat in the seat next to me, reading.

He had come a long way in these few weeks, slowly coming out of his shell. The socially awkward Scorpius was still there, just not as noticeable.

I moved closer to him and craned my neck to try and read the title.

"What are you reading?" I asked finally, unable to see the cover.

Without taking his eyes off of the book, he twisted it so I could read the cover.

"Homework? Even I, the one who is always on top of her schoolwork, do not read my school books on the train home." I said in a slightly mocking tone.

"I want to have it finished and out of the way so I can enjoy myself." He said. "I always spend the holidays at home and this will, I hope, be a nice change. I don't want my homework to interfere with having fun."

I nodded my head and reached for my bag, pulling out my latest knitting project.

My Mum had tried to teach e how to knit a few years ago. One giant hat that was even too big for Hagrid was enough to just ask my Grand mum to teach me instead. Now I was fairly good at it.

I set to work on the matching Ravenclaw colored scarves I was making for Hugo and my cousin, Lily. I was knitting an eagle into the end which I hoped, with a bit of help from my Mum, I would be able to charm to look like it was flying.

I was going to be giving all my cousins a scarf with their house colors and animals.

After about half an hour, my hand started to cramp. I put my knitting away, getting out my book and settling down to read.

OoOoOoO

"Oi, Rose, you should probably wake up so poor Scorpius doesn't lose feeling in his legs." I heard Albus say, interrupting my dreaming. Wait, since when was I asleep? Last I could remember I had been reading. The more I thought about it, the more I remembered. Yawning, leaning back against the seat, falling asleep, being jostled by the train and suddenly feeling the comfort of someone gently stroking my hair… Surely I had imagined it all, right?

Feeling the hand playing with my hair again caused me to open my eyes.

Albus was kneeling on the floor in front of me, obviously trying to hide his smirk. Dominique was still sitting in the same spot as before.

I looked up, blue eyes meeting grey. I sat up, turning bright red.

I had fallen asleep in Scorpius Malfoy's lap.

Albus and Dominique glanced at each other and broke into a fit of laughter.

"And what, might I ask, is so funny?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"Your – face," Albus said between laughs. "It's – simply – priceless."

I could feel my face growing warm again so I tried to hide it by pretending to look for something in my bag, causing my red hair to hide my burning cheeks.

When I had composed myself, I looked out the window and noticed it was already dark.

"Do you know how much longer it will be until we arrive?" I asked.

"Less than an hour I would think." Said Dominique, having recovered much quicker than Albus, who looked as if he might explode in another fit of laughter if he even opened his mouth.

I was about to say something when my stomach growled, echoing through the compartment.

I glanced at the seat next to me, where I had put my snack for the train, but it wasn't there. I glanced around, my eyes falling on a guilty looking Albus.

"I thought you had brought it to share… So I helped myself." He said sheepishly.

I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"You'd better hope that I can find the trolley and get myself some food." I muttered, getting up to find something to eat.

OoOoOoO

I returned moments later, my arms so full of sweets that I couldn't manage to open the door. Dominique got up and opened it for me.

"Thanks," I said, sitting down to eat.

Just to spite Albus for taking my snack, I smiled and licked my lips after every bite, staring straight at him. I also offered some to Dominique and Scorpius, pointedly ignoring Albus, who huffed and crossed his arms.

I simply smiled my sweetest grin at him and went back to eating.

OoOoOoO

As the train came to a stop, the four of us gathered our things and walked arm in arm onto the platform, which was fun, but it meant we had to walk sideways to be able to fit through the doors.

When we got off the train, we each headed off in different directions, promising to write each other as often as possible.

**A/N: You know the drill. You review, I update even faster! Thanks for reading. **


	12. Chapter 12

I spent most of my holidays finishing my homework, helping Grandmum around the house, reading, visiting with my cousins and playing Quidditch – not by choice, mind you. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground, but they needed another player.

The day before Christmas Eve everyone was busy decorating, cleaning and (in Grandmum's case) baking.

Hugo had convinced Granddad to pull out the old muggle record player and blast Christmas carols throughout the house. Mum had taught me the words to almost all of the Christmas songs out there, so I sang along at the top of my lungs. Hugo would join in occasionally, but he was outside a lot doing chores for Grandmum.

By the end of the day, the house was looking very festive. A giant wreath hung on the door, long strands of tinsel were wrapped around the banister, the tall Christmas tree was standing in the corner of the living room covered in hand made ornaments and enchanted with snow on its branches that never melted. It was a beautiful sight and, after all the hard work that had been put into it, we were all very proud indeed.

The next day, bright and early, Hugo woke me up. The smell of bacon and pancakes drifted from downstairs. Blearily I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"Too early," I muttered. Hugo merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Uncle Percy is already here and Grandmum said she isn't going to wait around forever for you to get out of bed and eat breakfast. I suggest you get down there before it's all gone." He said.

I sighed and shook off my blankets, stumbling out of bed. I threw on my robe and shuffled out of my room. I definitely am not a morning person.

When I got to the kitchen I was surprised to see how full it was. Teddy and Victoire were sitting in a corner whispering to each other and smiling, Uncle Percy and his wife were there along with their twins Lucy and Molly, Bill and Fleur were talking to Grandmum while Dominique and Louis sat at the table, eating quietly.

I made my way over to Dominique and sat down on the side opposite her.

"Hullo," I said, grabbing a piece of bacon.

"Hey, Rose," Said Dominique, smiling.

"How were your holidays?" I asked.

"I'd rather not talk about that." She replied rather grumpily.

"Oh come on," Interrupted Louis. "You have to admit that the incident with the tapioca was pretty funn—"

"Shut up!" Yelled Dominique, making a grab for her brother. Luckily for Louis, he was fast. I spent the next five minutes watching them chase each other around the kitchen, Louis trying to tell the story about tapioca while Dominique tried to cover his mouth, only to have Louis lick her.

"EW!" Dominique yelled, jumping back. "That's so gross!"

She made a face and dashed off to wash her hands. I laughed and gave Louis a high five.

I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my stomach and I jumped, turning around. I glanced up and came face to face with Teddy Lupin. His bright turquoise hair was short and messy. Even though I'd grown a bit since I'd last seen him, Teddy still towered over me.

"Teddy!" I grinned, jumping up and hugging him. He spun me around while I laughed.

"Hey, Rosie," He said. "How are things at Hogwarts?"

"Good. I have top marks in all my classes, including potions, and you already know I'm a prefect, so that's fun, and then I have a new friend." I replied.

"Oh, really? Who?"

"His name is Scorpius." I said.

"Isn't he that Malfoy boy?"

"Yeah, but he's not at all like his father. He's sweet and funny and just really fun to be around." I said, still smiling.

"He sounds like a decent guy. I'd like to meet him." Teddy said.

"He's been staying with Albus for the holidays, so he should be here by lunchtime."

"All right, make sure you introduce me." He said, winking.

"I will." I said as he left, probably to go find Victoire.

OoOoOoO

By noon that day the party was in full swing. All the adults had firewhiskey and those who were underage got butterbeer. Music was blasted and all the furniture in the living room was pushed aside for a make-shift dance floor. Couples were dancing while Dominique and I sat off to the side, making fun of some of the boys who were dancing.

The front door opened just then and Albus walked in, followed closely by Scorpius.

I glanced at Dominique who nodded and the two of us got up and tackle-hugged the both of them. Albus laughed and hugged us back while Scorpius turned pink.

We linked arms and made our way over to the kitchen for some butterbeer and some snacks. I piled my plate with sandwiches, cookies, tarts and pretty much any food on the table that didn't have peppers. I really dislike peppers. Albus looked at my plate and snickered.

"Hungry there, Rose?" He asked.

"Yeah, I am." I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

We headed back into the living room and sat down on one of the couches that had been pushed up against the wall. We all ate and told each other about our holidays, Dominique avoiding anything to do with pudding. When we had finished we all piled our plates together and shoved them into Albus' arms, pushing him towards the kitchen to throw them away.

"It's times like these when I really hate being underage…" He whined.

When he came back he stood in front of Dominique and bowed dramatically.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, still keeping up with the dramatics.

"Yeah, okay." Dominique replied as she stood up.

The two of them walked off to the middle of the floor and began dancing really fast and really crazy, even though a slow song was playing. I laughed and glanced at Scorpius. He looked bored.

"Do you want to dance too?" I asked.

"Sure." He replied warily.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. Scorpius stood there awkwardly.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Erm… I don't really know how to dance." He said, his cheeks turning a light pink.

"It's all right. I'll teach you."

I placed his hands on my hips and put my arms around his neck.

"Right, so just sway along to the music. It's all pretty simple." I said.

It didn't take him long to get the hang of it and soon he was dancing like a natural.

When a song I knew came on I started singing quietly, humming the parts that I had forgotten.

"You have a really pretty voice, you know." said Scorpius.

"Thanks," I said, blushing ever so slightly.

We danced off and on for the rest of the day, sometimes forming a group dance with Albus and Dominique.

At midnight the adults made us all go to bed. We made our way outside to the tents that had been set up. All the kids got to sleep in tents while the adults got the house, except for Uncle George who was still a kid at heart and sometimes liked to sleep outside with us.

Dominique and I headed off in one direction while Scorpius and Albus headed in another, each of us trying to find the best tent.

Lily was in the tent when Dominique and I got there and we chose our beds, I got the top bunk.

We were all very tired so it wasn't long before we fell asleep.

OoOoOoO

I was woken up early the next morning when it was still dark out by a loud bang and someone swearing.

"Who's that?" I mumbled.

I saw the person walk over and realized it was Albus.

"What are you doing in our tent, Albus?" I asked.

"It's four o'clock in the morning and we figured we'd wish you all a happy Christmas. It's only a matter of minutes before Hugo comes in here to wake you up anyways." He said.

"Wait… Who's we?" I asked.

"Scorpius of course." He replied. It was then that I noticed the blonde boy standing slightly behind Albus.

I said a quick hello and turned over to try and go back to sleep.

"Uh-uh, you're not sleeping, Rose. We have presents to open." Albus said.

"Watch me." I replied, closing my eyes.

Suddenly, two pairs of arms were lifting me down from my bunk, carrying me towards the house, blankets and all.

"Scorpius! Albus! Put me down!" I yelled.

"We will," Said Albus, "As soon as we get in the house. I'm not waiting around forever to open my presents."

My screaming had woken up the rest of the people that had been sleeping outside and they all came out of their tents and followed us inside.

When we reached the door Lily ran ahead to open it for us, seeing as Scorpius and Albus had their hands full.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking you know." I said grumpily.

"Yes, but we can't have you running back to your bed now, can we?" said Scorpius.

When we got inside they set me on the couch and I rolled out of my blankets, standing up.

Nobody was downstairs yet so we all went upstairs, separating into one group per room.

We made a lot of noise and pretty soon everyone was downstairs.

I handed my cousins their scarves and watched them open them. They all seemed to enjoy the fact that the animals moved.

I hadn't had enough time to make one for Scorpius, too, so I had gotten him something else.

I handed him his present and he opened it. I had gotten him a muggle book, knowing how much he enjoyed muggle items and by the look on his face when he opened it, I knew he liked it.

He sheepishly handed me a small gift wrapped box and I opened it quickly. Inside the box was a small hand-made bracelet made with gold and red string and beads. I smiled and I had him help me put it on.

Aside from the bracelet I'd received a bag, a lot of books, a rose scented bath set (even though I've told everyone I don't like the smell of roses, they get me it anyways), a hat and scarf set and some candy.

When everyone was done opening presents we headed into the kitchen for breakfast and played wizard chess and exploding snap afterwards.

We played Quidditch in the backyard after lunch and then went on a walk around the yard, just the four of us.

After we had eaten dinner, I said goodbye to all my cousins as they left and went upstairs to write a letter to Mum and Dad, wishing them a happy Christmas.

This Christmas had been one of the best yet.

**A/N: Oh gosh, that took FOREVER to write. I hope you liked it and if you didn't, well, you should review anyways. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

"You sure you don't want any more, Rose?" Grandmum asked me for the fourth time, trying to get me to eat more potatoes.

"No, really, I'm fine. If I eat any more I might explode." I said.

"Alright," She sighed. "But if you get hungry just let me know."

"Of course," I said, pushing my chair away from the table. Hugo followed suit and we headed upstairs together.

We got to Aunt Ginny's old room - which I had taken over while we were staying here - and sat down on the floor across from each other.

"So...," Began Hugo.

"So," I prompted.

"I'm bored and there's nothing to do here." He said, frustrated.

"Yeah, me too," I sighed. "How about we ask Grandmum for something to do?"

"I suppose," He said, getting up and heading for the door.

We raced down the stairs and I won by jumping the last few steps.

"Cheater!" Hugo whined.

"You're just jealous of that fact that I always win."

"Oh, yeah, that must be it." He replied, rolling his eyes.

We found Grandmum in the kitchen, her knitting taking up the entire table.

I nudged Hugo, signalling him to ask.

"Hey, Grandmum," He said. "Rose and I are pretty bored and we wanted to know if you had any suggestions of things to do."

"Why don't you invite your friends over?" She said, not looking up from her knitting.

"Really?" asked Hugo excitedly.

"Of course," She said. "I don't mind."

"Yes!" Hugo and I shouted together before setting of to tell our friends.

OoOoOoO

Hugo's best friend, Reed, arrived first and the three of us headed outside.

Snow was falling gently, covering everything in a fluffy white layer.

Hugo and Reed went off on their own while I set to work on a snowman.

I had just started to work on a fourth snowman when someone spoke behind me.

"Now, Rosie, you know my nose isn't _that _big." Albus said.

I looked over my shoulder at him.

"What makes you think this is supposed to be you?" I said.

"Well, this one lookes like Dominique, this one looks like you and this one looks like Scorp. I could only assume the last one is me... unless you've replaced your favorite cousin?" He said.

I rolled my eyes and finished the snowman, making his mouth larger than normal. I stepped back to admire my work.

Albus wasn't happy, but Dominique and Scorpius were trying to stifle their laughter.

Albus started to walk towards me when he was hit on the back of his head with a snowball.

Hugo was laughing several feet away. Albus packed some snow together and threw it at Hugo, hitting him square in the chest.

"Hey! Nobody messes with my little brother!" I said, aiming a throw at Albus. I missed, giving Scorpius a mouth full of snow instead.

"Ooooh, you're in for it now, Rose." Scorpius taunted. Before he could throw his snowball at me, Dominique attacked him from behind.

Pretty soon, snowballs were flying in every direction.

OoOoOoO

About an hour later we walked inside, tired, sore and cold.

Grandmum made us all a cup of hot cocoa each and ushered us over to the fire. We all plopped down immediately, exhausted.

When I could feel my toes again, I sat up and looked around.

Everyone was sprawled out on the floor. Scorp and Albus were arguing about Quidditch teams ("The Chuddley Cannons have no talent! I prefer the Holyhead Harpies." "You only like them because your mom played for them and they have a hot chaser."), Hugo and Reed were playing a quiet game of Wizard Chess and Dominique was asleep.

I made my way across the floor - being careful not to step on Dominique - and sat down next to Scorpius. I thought I noticed him stiffen slightly out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned to him he looked perfectly normal.

"Ah, it lives!" said Albus.

"Oh, shut up, Albus. I wasn't even asleep; I just had my eyes closed." I said.

"Excuses, excuses,"

"So," I said, changing the subject. "Anyone up for a game of Exploding Snap?"

"Um, sure," said Scorpius, somewhat awkwardly. Now really, what was with that boy?

"I'm game," said Albus. "Get it? Game?"

I rolled my eyes while Albus laughed at his own joke.

OoOoOoO

After playing four rounds of Exploding Snap (Scorp and I taking turns winning, leaving Albus to lose every time), we decided it would be best to wake Dominique.

Albus volunteered himself to wake her up and neither Scorpius nor I complained, seeing as Dominique doesn't like being woken up.

Albus crawled over to where she was sleeping in front of the fire. He blew in her ear and jumped up to hide behind the big green chair. Dominique sat up quickly, glaring around the room. She spotted Albus smirking behind the chair and scowled at him. Sensing an argument, I interrupted their staring contest.

"Dominique, can you go ask Grandmum for a snack?" I said innocently.

She huffed, but went to the kitchen anyway.

Just moments after she came back, there was a loud knock on the door.

Grandad got up to answer the door. From the other room I could hear a muffled argument and a voice that kept yelling, "Where is he?"

Scorpius, seeming to recognize the voice, went paler than I even thought possible. It wasn't until the man stormed into the room that I understood why. There stood Draco Malfoy, obviously livid and turning very red in the face.

"Dad, I-" Scorpius said softly, only to be interrupted by his father.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING HERE?" He roared.

"It's not-"

"You told me you were staying with the Goyles! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was to write to them, asking how you were getting along to be told that you hadn't been staying with them and, had in fact, been staying at the Potter house?"

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!" Scorpius said.

"Oh," said Draco sarcastically. "What _did _you expect to happen? Did you hope your mother and I would never fine out about this? Did you hope to keep from us the fact that you are friends with the son of Harry Potter himself and a mudblood's daughter?" He fumed, pointing at me and Albus.

"I demand you leave our house at once." said Grandmum ferociously. "You have no right to barge into our home and insult my grandchildren in such a way."

Mr. Malfoy stiffened and turned towards Scorpius.

"Come, Scorpius, we are leaving." He growled. Scorpius shakily got to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, Father." He said, his voice wavering slightly.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I won't come with you. These are the only friends I have and, after what you just said to them, they may not even want to be around me anymore. I can't believe you expect me to just go along with what you say and expect me to stay quiet. You insulted Rose for Merlin's sake! It's no wonder nobody at Hogwarts wants to be my friend! They probably are afraid I'm just like you! You can't just let an old grudge go already! And to think that I used to look up to you." Scorpius yelled, his eyes full of anger and pain.

"How dare you speak to your father that way?" Mr. Malfoy half shouted.

Scorpius didn't respond at first. After a moment he turned around and walked up the stairs. When he reached the top, he turned around.

"Tell Mother that I might be home for the Summer holidays, but don't count on it." He then walked to the nearest room and slammed the door.

Draco Malfoy huffed and stormed out of the Burrow.

Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say or do. The silence was finally broken, however, when Reed and Hugo started clapping.

"Bravo, I say! A simply _marvelous _performance!" Hugo laughed.

I shot them a look that shut them up instantly.

Grandmum wandered into the kitchen to make dinner. She kept muttering to herself about what a big mess this was.

Albus, Dominique and I gathered in a corner.

"Do you think we should go make sure he's alright?" Dominique asked.

"Someone needs to. I think it should only one of us should go up there at first though." Albus replied. They both turned to look at me.

"Why me?" I asked.

"Because you're the best at comforting." Albus explained.

They shoved me towards the stairs. When I got to the room he was in, I knocked softly. When I got no answer I cracked the door open and peered inside.

Scorpius was sitting in the far corner of the room. His face was buried in his arms.

I walked slowly to where he was sitting and sat down beside him.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently.

"He shouldn't have said that about you." He whispered, not bothering to lift his head.

"It's alright," I said shrugging. "It doesn't really bother me."

"It's still wrong." He said.

After a moment's silence, Scorpius spoke again.

"Do you think I'm like my father, Rose?" He asked.

"No, Scorpius, I don't." I said. "If you were, you wouldn't be friends with me."

He nodded slightly before sighing.

"I don't know what to do. I can't go back there now, not after what I said to him." He said.

"It'll be okay." I said comfortingly. "Between us, Albus and Dominique, we'll figure something out."

"I sure hope so, Rose. I sure hope so."

A/N: Ah, so fanfiction decided to cut off the end of the chapter, so I'm re-uploading it... I hope it works.

**I hope you all take the time to review. What do you think was wrong with Scorpius? What did you think of the scene between Draco and Scorp? What would you like to see happen in the story? Hope you enjoyed that chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

The start of the new term brought on more stress than I even thought possible. Homework just kept piling on in preparation for our O.W.L. examinations at the end of the year.

With all our homework, we hardly had any time for ourselves, let alone time to try and help find a solution to Scorpius's issue. Albus was no help whatsoever, seeing as his only idea was to adopt Scorpius as his brother. Astoria Malfoy had visited Scorpius while he was still staying at the Potter's house, trying to convince him to come home. He told her he would consider, but he was hesitant to go back. I could hardly blame him for not wanting to. I definitely would not want to live with the likes of Draco Malfoy.

I felt bad for Scorpius, though, because he doesn't deserve to have a father like that.

OoOoOoO

The weekend before Valentine's I sat in the library alone. My friends were long gone, having already finished with their work for the week, leaving me to finish mine. I didn't mind, really, as it was less distracting without having to listen to their joking and goofing off.

I was just finishing up my essay on Goblin Rebellions when someone sat down across from me. Half expecting it to be Albus or Scorpius, I was surprised to see a short boy with long, dark hair and bright eyes smiling at me.

"Hello, Lysander," I said, nodding at him politely.

"Hello, Rose," He greeted. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yes, well, I've been pretty busy with school and all." I said, putting my books in my bag. As he hadn't said anything after I stuffed the last book in my bag I glanced up at him. He stood nervously in front of me. I waited a few minutes more but he still said nothing, so I made my way towards the door.

"Wait!" He called. "I was wondering if maybe we could hang out, just the two of us?" He said it all in a rush that I had quite a hard time deciphering his words.

"Er… Alright, I guess?" I replied, slightly confused at his sudden interest in my friendship.

"Perfect! How does next Hogsmeade weekend sound? I know its Valentine's and all, but it seems like a good opportunity." He didn't wait for my response, however, which would have been to tell him I had plans with my friends next weekend. Instead, he turned on his heel and practically ran out of the library.

I guess he didn't want to stick around long enough for me to change my mind.

I sighed and heaved my bag onto my shoulder, heading for the Common Room. I didn't know how I was going to tell my friends that I had to cancel our plans next weekend.

OoOoOoO

"You did what?" Albus exclaimed.

"I'm going to Hogsmeade with Lysander. He wants to hang out." I said for the third time.

"But you already made plans with us!" said Dominique sadly.

"I tried to tell him that, but he left before I could say anything. I suppose I could back out, but that sounds mean."

"What a prick," muttered Albus.

"He is not. He was just nervous, I think."

"Ooh, is it because it's a date?" asked Dominique.

"Yeah, people say he fancies you." Albus chimed in.

"Don't listen to those stupid rumors, Albus. Half of them aren't even close to being true." I said.

Tired from the long day, I said goodnight and made my way to my dormitory. I flopped down on my bed and let sleep overcome me.

OoOoO

The next morning I saw Scorpius at breakfast and told him as well. His reaction was much the same. A bit upset, but he wasn't as obvious about it as my cousins were.

After discussing Lysander so much that I was getting tired of his name, I piled my plate with eggs, toast and bacon and began munching on my breakfast.

"Are you excited for Defense Against the Dark Arts this morning?" Albus asked us. Defense Against the Dark Arts was Albus's favorite subject. He was a born natural. It didn't surprise me, though, knowing who his parents are.

He then began going into extreme detail about the possible things we could be learning today and how he had prepared for every possibility. I was glad when I was finished with my food and didn't have to listen to Albus droning. It was very nearly putting everyone to sleep.

As I walked into the classroom I notice that all the desks have been pushed against the wall and the floor is lined with fluffy cushions. When the room was full Professor Darin spoke.

"Today we are going to be practicing dueling. You will be graded on this among many thins at the end of the year. I will pull your names out of a hat to pair you up." He said.

As dueling partners were called, they walked to a spot in the room and faced each other.

Albus was paired with Sarah Andres, a timid Hufflepuff girl. Dominique was paired with a girl I did not recognize who had small, dark eyes and long greasy hair.

Professor Darin pulled my name, soon followed by Scorpius's name. We grinned at each other and took our places at the back of the room. I was very confident I would be able to beat Scorpius, as he was never very good at wand work.

As Professor Darin announced the start of the duel, spells were everywhere. I myself was just about to send a stunning spell towards Scorpius when I froze and suddenly all was black.

OoOoOoO

"Rose," someone called distantly. I opened my eyes and the whole class surrounded me. Surely I hadn't passed out? Scorpius stood nearby, looking slightly worried.

"Rose, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that." He said.

"Nonsense," Said Darin. "That was excellent, Mr. Malfoy. Not many people can beat Miss Weasley, here." Scorpius blushed and shuffled his feet, muttering something incomprehensible.

I stood up, brushing the dust off my robes and picking up my wand from the ground.

By the end of the class, Scorpius and I had gone back and forth, beating each other. It surprised me how well he had gotten at dueling. He must have practiced over the break.

OoOoOoO

The rest of the day passed rather quickly, leaving me with another giant stack of homework. By the time I was finished, I was exhausted and barely managed to stumble into my dormitory and onto my bed before falling asleep.

**A/N: Oh my gosh. I finally updated this story. I'm so sorry for the wait. Things have been a bit crazy around here for me and I've also been having issues with the direction the plot is going to take. Still not entirely sure, but I have a better idea. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. I'd love to hear your feedback, so leave a review. Reviews make me update faster than this time. :P**


	15. Chapter 15

I couldn't sleep. I lay in bed, tossing and turning. After a few hours I gave up and got my clothes and things and headed down to the Common Room, making my way across before exiting out the portrait hole. I set off towards the Prefect's Bathroom. I hoped a nice warm bath would help me relax so that I could fall asleep.

When I got there I turned on the faucets causing them to emit bubbles of all shapes and sizes, making the room smell like raspberries and vanilla.

I got into the bath and began washing myself. Unfortunately, the water made me even more wide awake than before. Slightly upset that my master plan hadn't worked I sighed and took a nice swim in the pool-sized bath.

At some point or another I began singing quietly. After a fair amount of time, when my fingers started to shrivel, I got out and dried myself off and got dressed. As I exited the bathroom I was still humming. After being shushed repeatedly by several of the paintings, I instead began to dance and slide my way down the corridors to the tune stuck in my head. I probably looked like an idiot, but nobody was around so I didn't care.

As I was sliding around a corner I ran into someone.

"Why do I always run into you?" I asked after I had looked up.

Scorpius merely shrugged. "How should I know?" he said. "I'm not the one dancing in the halls." He smirked at me and I blushed, rubbing the shoulder that had slammed into Scorpius.

"I couldn't sleep," I said simply.

"Too excited for your date with Lysander later, eh?" He asked.

"Why does everyone think it's a date? 'Cause it's not!" I whispered angrily.

"…Right,"

"It's not." I replied adamantly.

We walked in silence. My hair was dripping onto the floor so I muttered a quick drying spell.

Unfortunately, those spells often make my hair extra frizzy. As I was trying to flatten it, Scorpius looked over and snorted loudly.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't understand why girls are always fixing their hair." He replied.

"Right, so guys automatically wake up in the morning and just have perfect hair?" I laughed.

"No, that's not my point!"

"Well, that makes loads of sense." I said sarcastically.

Scorpius didn't reply. He seemed occupied as he was rummaging through his bag. He finally stood up straight and handed me a small gift.

"Happy Valentine's Day," He said, smiling.

"Er… Thanks," I said awkwardly, feeling bad that I hadn't gotten anything for him as well. He nodded and said something about having to be somewhere and walked off. I headed in the opposite direction, towards the Gryffindor tower.

"Mandrake," I said to the portrait, causing it to swing open.

The Common Room was nearly empty. Only a few younger students were awake. I went back up to my dormitory and sat on my bed. I opened the card from Scorpius.

_Rose,_

_Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy my gift to you._

_Your friend,_

_Scorpius_

I smiled and opened the present. It was a small box of chocolates and truffles. I ate one and lay down on my bed, finally managing to fall asleep.

OoOoOoO

I woke up and looked around. I must have slept for a while because none of my roommates were around and the sky was getting dark… The sky was getting dark!

I jumped out of bed and looked at the clock, mentally cursing myself when I realized I was supposed to meet Lysander five minutes ago. I rushed around the room, getting ready and throwing things into my bag. I ran down the stairs and out the portrait hole, tearing down the hallways. I looked at my watch again and mentally kicked myself for sleeping so long.

Lysander and I had made plans to meet at the fountain, but when I got there he was nowhere to be found. I shrugged and headed into Hogsmeade, making sure to check even the places that were not as well known for any signs of the dark haired boy.

I was just about to give up when I saw him. He was walking with another girl with long, shiny black hair. I walked over to him, glad he had found another friend to talk with, but I felt a need to explain myself.

"Lysander!" I called. He turned around and the look he gave me was so fierce I almost regretted saying anything.

"What do you want, Rose?" He asked in a tone that was anything but friendly.

"I'm sorry I'm late. You see, I overslept -"

"I don't want to hear your excuses. An hour! We were supposed to meet up and hour ago, Rose!" He interrupted.

"Yes, but when I got to the fountain you weren't there, so I went looking for you and only just caught up." I tried explaining.

"I don't want to hear it! If you didn't want to hang out with me you could have just said so!" He said, gritting his teeth in an obvious attempt to stay calm.

"But I did want to hang out with you! I just -"

"Here we go again! Always has to be about you, doesn't it? Everyone was right. You're just a self-centered bitch." He spat.

I stood there for a moment, taking in what he had just said to me. Then I did something that I normally wouldn't have done. I slapped Lysander in the face. He stood there looking shocked and I turned around and ran for it.

I didn't pay attention to where I was walking. In fact, I only looked up when I felt someone grab onto my arm. Albus stood there, concern written all over his face.

"Whoa there, Rosie. You look like you could kill someone. What happened?" He asked.

"Lysander," I muttered, trying to keep my voice even.

"I knew it! I'm going to kill that bloke!" He said.

He started to walk off but Scorpius and Dominique, who had been standing off to the side, grabbed onto each of his arms, holding him back.

"Might I remind you," said Scorpius. "That you have detention all of next week and that you don't need to add to it by beating up Scamander."

"Besides," I added. "I already slapped him in the face."

Albus threw his arm around me in a half hug.

"That's my Rosie."

**A/N: So I didn't get many reviews from you guys for the last chapter. I'm not sure if it's because you didn't like it or because I lost readers after the long break I took. I'm going to try my best to make regular updates, so bear with me.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

As I was walking to one of my classes the next day I couldn't help but notice the stares I was getting from all the students. Trying to ignore them, I pushed open the door to the Potions classroom and took my regular seat next to Scorpius.

"Hi," I greeted as I sat down, but Scorpius merely gave me a nod in return.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he waved me off, saying something about how he had to start preparing his ingredients.

The rest of the class was spent with me trying to start conversation with Scorpius and him trying to speak as little as possible. He was also no help with making the poison and I ended up on my own, making my cauldron smoke odd colors towards the end of the class.

I was packing up my bag when Scorpius brushed past me.

"Scorpius, wait!" I called.

"I have my next class to get to." He said, not even stopping.

Unfortunately, we didn't have any of the same classes the rest of the day.

OoOoOoO

Later that afternoon, I sat in my Charms class with Albus. Before I even had a chance to say hello he spoke.

"Why'd you lie to me, Rose?" he asked.

I was a bit taken aback by his question.

"What do you mean?" I said. I couldn't remember a time recently that I had lied to anyone, especially not Albus.

"You told me that you and Lysander were just friends and that you aren't even talking now." He replied, as if that answered my question.

"We were friends and we aren't talking now because he's a jerk." Hadn't I told him this several times already?

"Then why are you dating him, Rose? The whole school knows about it and you wouldn't even tell your best friend?" He looked genuinely hurt, yet I couldn't help but laugh.

"Is that why everyone's been staring at me all day?" I asked between fits of laughter.

"Probably. Everyone thinks you and Lysander make a cute couple and it seems to be the only thing anyone is talking about." He replied. This only made me laugh harder.

"You don't – honestly – believe – that Lysander – and I – are dating?" I asked, laughing.

Albus reddened and muttered something about Dominique.

Despite his embarrassment, Albus eventually apologized and we laughed about it for the rest of the class.

OoOoOoO

I was looking forward to lunch. The few times I had passed Scorpius in the hall he hadn't even acknowledged me. I was hoping to corner him and find out what was wrong. I kept going through things we had said recently, but I couldn't think of any reasons why he should ignore me like he was doing.

I had barely taken three steps into the Great Hall when Dominique grabbed me by the arm, pulling me towards the Gryffindor table.

"Rose!" She squealed. "You will not believe the rumors going around-"

"Yeah, I know. I'm supposedly dating Lysander." I cut her off.

"I always thought he was cute. Good for you, Rosie." She grinned.

"I'm not dating Lysander, Dom! Now let me go. I have something I need to-"

"So it's not true?" Her smile faded.

"Of course not," I practically scoffed.

"Oh… Rose, I wish you would find _someone." _

Needless to say I spent the rest of lunch with Dominique as she tried to set me up with nearly every available guy at Hogwarts.

OoOoOoO

All day, everyone kept asking me if the rumors were true. Of course, the first couple I had no trouble with setting the record straight, but as time wore on it got more annoying.

"Oh, glad I caught you, Rose." Said my dorm mate, Claire Finnegan.

"Hi Claire," I greeted.

"Listen, are the rumors true?" she asked, rocking back and forth on her feet.

"No." I said and kept walking.

"Oh… Well, see you, Rose!" We parted ways and I headed towards my History of Magic class.

As soon as I sat down I was bombarded by even more questions regarding me and Lysander.

"Have you kissed?"

"Do your parents know?"

"How long have you been together?"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Enough!" I said. "We're not together, nor do I have any plans to be with Lysander in the near future. Now leave me alone!"

Disappointed, they all returned to their seats. Still fuming, I tried to turn my attention towards Professor Binns and his dull lecture.

"Psst, hey Rose." whispered a voice behind me towards the end of the class.

"NO!" I yelled, still annoyed at the ridiculous amount of questions I had been asked earlier. Half the class looked up at my outburst, but returned to their short nap when they realized class wasn't over.

"…I only wanted to borrow a quill." Said a Ravenclaw boy with sandy hair.

"Oh… Sorry." I blushed furiously and handed him a spare quill from my bag.

OoOoOoO

After dinner, during which I tried to make eye contact with a still icy Scorpius, I headed toward the Gryffindor common room. I was planning on hiding in my bed, away from all the questioning students.

Thinking about his attitude all day made me angry. I hadn't done anything to him! I didn't deserve this!

Furious as I was, I was having trouble remembering the password.

"You alright, dear?" asked the Fat Lady.

"Yeah I'm… No, actually, I'm not fine." I said.

"Well, I suppose you should do something about that." She advised.

"Yeah, yeah I will." I turned around and ran down the hallway. I knew where he would be at this time of the day. He would be on the quidditch field with the rest of the Hufflepuff team, practicing for their next big game.

When I reached the field, practice had just ended due to the darkening sky. Everyone else was already in the locker rooms, but I saw Scorpius dawdling. He spotted me storming down the field and no doubt noticed my furious expression. He turned around, heading for the locker rooms.

"Scorpius! Wait!" I yelled. He kept walking. "Damn it, Scorpius, would you stop walking?"

He stopped and turned around, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Why have you been avoiding me all day?" I demanded. I was still a good distance away from him but I kept walking towards him. Just a little closer and I would be close enough to hit him, or better yet, hex him.

"Are you going to answer me?" I yelled. I was now close to him. I made to reach for my wand, but he grabbed me.

"Sometimes you're ridiculously oblivious, Rose." Scorpius said, and suddenly, without realizing how it happened, he was kissing me.

Just as suddenly as he started it, he ended it.

"I have to go." He said. He turned and ran towards the castle.

I stood there, dumbstruck. What the bloody hell was that?

**A/N: Phew! I finally got that chapter out! I've rewritten this chapter about ten different times and I'm just glad I finished it finally. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Hopefully more of you will review this chapter?**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Emma-and-Eadric-forever**


	17. Chapter 17

I stood there for what felt like hours. My hand reached up to touch my mouth, where his own soft, cold lips touched mine. I closed my eyes and could almost feel the tingle that went down my spine and the gentleness of his hands as he cradled my head.

I couldn't think straight. I was lost in my own world that I hardly noticed the rest of the Hufflepuff team walk past, staring at me.

It wasn't until one of them started talking to me that I paid them any attention.

"Hey, you should probably get up to the castle before you get a detention for being out late." A tall seventh year advised.

Brought back to reality, I noticed the icy wind blowing. In my rush to find Scorpius, I had forgotten my cloak. Ducking my head down I walked quickly up to the castle and into the common room.

I spotted Albus and Dominique quickly and I made my way over to where they were sitting. I didn't know if I should mention anything about what had happened to them. I wasn't going to tell anyone until I knew what he meant by it. After all, he could have been put up to it by one of his quidditch buddies.

They sat there talking for a while, but I hardly even remember what I said. My mind was having trouble focusing on anything. After a considerable amount of time, I said goodnight and headed towards the dormitory, crawling into bed.

I closed my eyes, hoping that sleep would overcome me. I had no such luck, however, as I lay wide awake in bed. With a sigh I leaned over the edge of my bed and grabbed a random book from the floor.

After reading for about an hour I finally fell into a restless sleep.

OoOoOoO

I woke up the next morning, still as exhausted as I had been when I fell asleep the night before. Yawning, I got ready for the day and set off for my classes.

I had been meaning to complete some of my homework the night before but I forgot in the midst of everything that happened. Unfortunately, this meant I had to turn in homework late for the first time in - well - ever.

My first class with Scorpius was Defense Against the Dark Arts. I wasn't sure if I was looking forward to, or dreading seeing him there. I honestly had no idea what to say. Luckily for me, I got there and realized we would be dueling again, leaving little time for conversation.

Professor Darin was to match us up with the same partners we had the last time, meaning I was up against Scorpius.

Albus and I had been practicing our wandwork against each other, and I must say I thought I was getting pretty good.

Scorpius sauntered in, minutes late, looking about as sleep deprived as I felt. He was, however, in a seemingly good mood.

"Good morning, class!" Said Darin, getting my attention. "Today you're going to be dueling your partner again, but this time I want you to be practicing your shield charms."

Several people nodded their heads in understanding while others had looks of worry etched on their faces.

At Professor Darin's signal, Scorpius and I bowed at each other before straightening up, our wands at the ready.

I was just about to disarm Scorpius when I was hit full-force from behind, knocking the wind out of me and sending me to the ground. I recovered fairly quickly and was up on my feet again, my eyes landing on a very embarrassed looking Charlotte Longbottom. Her face was buried in her hands, but I could see a blush between her fingers.

As I was watching Charlotte I hadn't noticed the small crowd that had formed around me. Albus, Dominique and Scorpius were among the few, asking if I was alright. After telling them that I was indeed fine, they all went back to their original spots in the room, aside from Scorpius. He spent the rest of the class making sure I stayed sitting and didn't participate anymore, despite my protests that I was perfectly fine. The only thing stopping him from taking me to the Hospital Wing was probably Professor Darin.

Seeing as he no longer had a partner to duel, Scorpius sat beside me, leaving us in an awkward silence. I didn't want to be the one to break it, so I kept quiet. After a few minutes he spoke.

"Listen, Rose," He whispered. "About last night…"

I turned towards him. He was biting his upper lip, like he always did when he was nervous. Then I noticed some students hovering nearby.

"Let's not talk about it here." I said quickly. Merlin knows I didn't need more gossip spread around about me. "How about we meet at the Astronomy tower tonight, after dinner?"

"Er… Yeah, alright,"

OoOoOoO

After lunch I ran was greeted by Lorcan, Lysander's twin brother. The only difference between them was that Lorcan was a bit taller and more muscular.

"Hullo, Rose," He smirked.

"Hi Lorcan," I said in a slightly icy tone. I still was not happy with Lysander.

"I bet you don't realize just how lucky you are, eh?"

"I have no idea what you mean." I replied, confused.

"Why, dating my brother, of course!"

"Haven't you heard? We're not together." I snapped.

"Of course I know that. Don't you think I would? I'm the one who started the rumor, after all." He seemed proud about this, but I was less than pleased.

"Why?" Was all I could seem to say.

"When I found out what had happened from Lysander, I spread it around that you to were dating. After all, it would obviously make you upset. Yet, it would make Lysander pleased with all the attention he would receive. And my plan worked, didn't it?" He laughed.

It took all of my willpower not to hex him then and there. Standing up as tall as I possibly could, I merely stomped on his foot and huffed off.

OoOoOoO

After dinner I made my way to the Astronomy Tower. I got there first, so I laid my cloak down on the floor, leaning back to look at the stars. I looked up when I heard the soft _click _of footsteps.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey," He said, taking a seat next to me. We were both silent for a moment.

"So you wanted to talk?" I prompted.

"Oh… Er… Yes," He replied. "I guess we should… discuss the events of last night?"

"You mean discuss the fact that you kissed me." I clarified.

"Yeah, that." He said, followed by another moment of silence. Suddenly, all the questions I had been thinking over the past day came spilling out of my mouth.

"Why did you kiss me? Did someone put you up to it? Why'd you run away afterwards? What are we supposed to do now? And _why _were you ignoring me yesterday?" I rattled off so fast, I was surprised he managed to remember them all.

"Did you want me to answer those all right now?"

"Yes." I folded my arms, ready for an explanation.

"Well, I kissed you because I happen to like you very much, Rose Weasley. And no, nobody put me up to it. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment deal. I ran away because I was afraid of what you might say to me. Honestly, I have no clue what we do now. And I figured the reason why I was ignoring you was pretty obvious. I mean, everyone was talking about you and Lysander all day. I didn't find out until today that it wasn't even true, which makes me feel a bit stupid now that I think about it."

"So… Are we dating?" I asked.

"Do you want to?"

"Want to what?"

"Date," he said.

"I…" I paused, realizing the answer had been staring me in the face the whole time. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

"Okay,"

We stayed up in the Astronomy Tower for a few hours more, just talking. When I started to yawn, he walked with me until we got to the hallway that split us off in different directions, each of our common rooms on opposite sides of the castle. He paused, so I did as well.

"Goodnight, Rose," he said.

"'Night, Scorp," I stood up on my tiptoes and left a light kiss on his lips. Scorpius returned the favor, however, and we stood there a few minutes more in each other's embrace. When we pulled away he looked at me with his bright grey eyes.

"Well, whatever else happens, at least we know that part works." He said.

I just laughed.

**A/N: Oh my goodness. So much going on in here! I feel pretty proud of myself, being able to update so quickly. It's not exactly what I imagined this chapter to be, but I couldn't help that.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading.**

**Favorite quotes, comments, or predictions? Lemme know in the reviews!**

**- Emma-and-Eadric-forever**


	18. Chapter 18

Albus was going to kill me. Along with Draco Malfoy, I'm sure he would help…

Oh, Merlin, my own _father _is going to kill me!

I mean, how could I have let myself fall for the _one _guy my family would never approve of? What happened to being enemies just like our parents were?

I began pacing in front of my bed.

Maybe I should have just listened to James five years ago on the train. Maybe I should have taken my father's advice and made it my personal goal to beat Scorpius Malfoy at every test.

But no, I was ever the stubborn one, determined to not let anyone tell me what to do, regardless of whether or not it was for the best.

I plopped down on my bed and ran my hands through my hair. I closed my eyes and my mind was filled with him. His smile, his eyes, his annoying habit of scratching his neck when he's nervous, and suddenly I remembered why I had let myself like Scorpius.

Because he wasn't like his father, he got along with my friends (which happen to double as family), he made me laugh, and he didn't care that I was a Weasley and he was a Malfoy. He didn't care that our families weren't supposed to get along. To him, he was merely Scorpius, and I was just Rose. And that was all that mattered.

Smiling to myself, I began to get ready for the day. Looking in the mirror, I noticed I was in desperate need of a shower. Bundling my clothes up under my arm, I ran out of my dormitory and down the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room.

After having cleaned myself up and gotten dressed, I headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Smelling the delicious food made me realize just how hungry I was, so I wasted no time in piling food on my plate.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Albus sit down beside me. He looked like he had just gotten up, because he was still groggy.

"Morning!" I said cheerily, still in a good mood.

"Why are you so happy?" Albus said. "Don't tell me you're going to start singing and rainbows and butterflies will appear out of nowhere."

"Is there something wrong with being in a good mood?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"No… it's just really early,"

I just shook my head and continued eating. Curious, I looked up and glanced around the hall, but I saw no sign of the pale, blonde-haired boy. Drat.

OoOoOoO

I didn't have any classes with the Hufflepuffs until the end of the day, so I knew I wouldn't be seeing Scorpius anytime soon.

Divination was an entire hour of making up dreams and making shapes out of lumpy tea leaves and I had forgotten all about practicing for Transfiguration and ended up doing just as bad as the rest of the class. I was glad when it was over and I packed up my bag, heading to lunch.

Letting out a sigh, I sat down on one of the benches at the Gryffindor table. I was just about to bite into my bacon sandwich when Dominique sat down beside me.

"Isn't your birthday coming up in a couple weeks, Rose?" she asked.

Wow, I'd completely forgotten about my birthday…

"Yeah, it is," I said.

"Planning anything special?" she grinned at me.

"Not really. I honestly forgot about it completely. I'll probably just hang out in Hogsmeade that weekend."

"Oh," Was all she said. I could tell she was disappointed. No doubt she wanted to plan an extravagant party for me, something I did not want at all.

"Well," I said, breaking the silence. "I should get going. I have a lot of homework that is due tomorrow."

I grabbed my sandwich and ate it on my way to the library. I actually did have homework to do, but I had plenty of time to get it done. I just didn't want to stick around too long with Dominique in case she convinced me to let her plan me a party.

OoOoOoO

I wanted so bad to just fall asleep, but I had to stay awake. I had rounds that evening and if I missed them I would be in major trouble with Alice, the Head Girl. She was always on my case about something, even when I wasn't doing anything wrong she found something to get after me about, even if it happened over a week ago. Why she had it out for me so bad was beyond me.

I glanced at my watch and was relieved to find it was time for me to go. If I could just walk quickly through the floor I was assigned to I would be free to head to bed where I could collapse.

I set off at a brisk pace. I was supposed to make my rounds on the fifth floor. Hopefully there wouldn't be any students out of bed and I would be able to just get this over with.

OoOoOoO

Yawning, I stumbled towards the stairs that would lead me to the Gryffindor Tower. My rounds had not been as quick as I had hoped. It seemed that all the students flocked to the fifth floor that night and I was stuck shooing them off to bed on my own since the other Prefect I was supposed to do rounds with didn't show. I hope he gets a detention for that.

I was exhausted, I didn't even know if I was going to make it to my Dormitory before falling asleep. I just had to make it to the Common Room and I could fall on the couch or something.

A hand reached out and grabbed me, pulling me into a nearby broom closet. I let out a small scream until they covered my mouth with their other hand. I struggled against the person holding me, but they were stronger.

"Shush, Rose, it's me." I recognized the voice as Scorpius's and I immediately stopped my struggling.

"What is wrong with you?" I said when he finally lifted his hand from my mouth. "You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to."

"You do realize I'm on rounds and have every right to put you in detention for being out this late?"

"But you wouldn't do that to me, would you, Rose?" he looked at me with a pleading look and I knew I he was right.

"Fine, but don't think I'll let you off so easy next time." I tried to glare at him but he started smiling and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and smile back.

"So are you going to be so busy that I have to drag you into broom closets all the time or was that just today?" he asked.

"Says the person who wasn't even at breakfast,"

"I overslept."

"Right," I said, and then I remembered my conversation with Dominique earlier. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me weekend after next?" I asked.

"Why?"

"'Cause it's my birthday that week and I wanted to do something fun."

"I didn't know your birthday was so soon." He said.

I shrugged. "Honestly, even I forgot about it."

Scorpius laughed. "Well, I'll make sure you don't forget again."

"Thanks," I said, but it ended in yet another yawn.

"Am I boring you?" he asked.

"No, just tired is all," I said. "I didn't get too much sleep last night."

"Sorry about that," Scorpius muttered, a faint blush creeping up on his pale cheeks.

"It's fine, but I really should get to bed before I fall asleep in this broom closet."

Scorpius nodded his head and opened the door of the closet, leading me out into the hall. He was leading me in the direction of the Gryffindor tower and I wondered how he even knew where it was. He stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady and turned to me.

"I don't know the password." He said.

Turning towards the Fat Lady, I mumbled, 'Pesky Pixies,' and the portrait swung open.

I said goodbye to Scorpius and made my way to my dormitory. I opened the door and noticed someone was still awake, waiting for me.

"Where have you been?" asked Dominique. "This is the second night in a row that you've been out late, and don't give me the excuse that you had rounds, because you were supposed to be back from that long before now." She added as I opened my mouth to protest. I hadn't told Albus or Dominique about me and Scorpius, and I didn't know what her reaction would be. I didn't see any way around answering her question though, so I sighed and told her everything. When I was finished, her reaction was not as I had anticipated… She was smirking.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, it was pretty obvious that he liked you. You were just too oblivious to it." She replied.

"Oh… well Albus doesn't know yet, so don't tell him. I'm going to go to sleep now."

I flopped onto my bed and was asleep in no time at all.

**A/N: So I'm really sorry that I took so long to update this… I keep saying I'm going to update more often but then I don't. I really need to stop doing that.**

**Anyways, in order to write this chapter I went back and re-read the last chapter and I don't like it at all. I think eventually I'll re-write it. It kind of sucks.**

**Also, sorry about any typos or grammatical errors, I didn't read through this and I'm relying entirely on spell-check because I wanted to update this ASAP.**

**Hope you enjoy and take time to review.**

**-Emma-and-Eadric-forever**


	19. Cookie VanDeKamp Hacks Liz's Account

**Hello. This is Emma-and-Eadric-forever's friend, Cookie VanDeKamp.**

**Right. So EAEF's computer broke, and it's apparently taking FOREVER to fix. So she just wanted me to hijack her account to send you all this little message.**

**Over and out.**


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